Maybe I don’t like hype trains or trends. I’m finding myself not wanting to read any more of ACOTAR, I’m bored from the first chapter. I’m likely not the intended audience, and that’s okay. I don’t mind slow burns. I don’t mind high fantasy stories. I definitely love me a strong FMC.
So far, this is generic fantasy woe-is-me territory of hardship, hunger, single parent home, one child being the responsible one kind of overly used tropes I’m getting rather tired of. It nearly entered my DNF list, but I figured I’d give it a chance to take off plot-wise.
And before anyone @s me, yes, I did get bored reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books, too, because of similar pacing. Here’s another controversial take, I prefer the movies because they get on with it.
I am told the romance parts of this are good, so I’ll attempt to get there.
Overly descriptive again on rather mundane things. Makes me want to skim ahead.
Her name is Feyre, which is pretty, yet, I wish I could’ve gotten that in the first chapter because Bow Girl has stuck in my head. I understand that’s tricky to do in first person narrative. It’s just my preference.
The details that I did find interesting were about the mortals not having magic and the High Fae heritage of the traveling salesman that marked supposedly fake anti-fae wards around their doors and windows. Which insinuates that mortals sort of can have magic if they have fae ancestry.
Her sister, Elain (still looks wrong without the e at the end), looks impeccable regardless of their poverty and hunger.
The line, “…my mother hadn’t made them swear anything when they stood beside her deathbed.” literally had me furrow my brows with an eye roll, like, did your mom just hate you then? Is this a Cinderella-esque character? Are the two older sisters there just to complain, be useless, and look pretty? This clichè is tiresome and nonsensical.
Okay, this is where I would’ve preferred the story started. The loss of their fortune and manor. That gives so much more backstory than 1.5 chapters of “I’m cold. I’m hungry. We’re poor. My family is useless.” It gives context to why the sisters are the way they are. It’s still a bit shameful that the father seems just as useless as well.
Okay, so, the dad has a ruined leg. That’s important information that I feel should’ve been mentioned earlier.
Ugh! This is likely the point, but Nesta, pissed that they’re not wealthy anymore, is overly and unnecessarily cruel to everyone, especially, their father. Like, girl! Come on! Chill out!
I did enjoy the added pronunciation of Feyre’s name. In my head, I was pronouncing it like fairy, which I found totally ironic.
Anyways, back to how spoiled and entitled Nesta is, the gall that she still has after years of poverty to act like she’s a porcelain doll that can’t be bothered to work, despite her father with a lame leg, is irritatingly irritating, and I’m totally not sorry for that phrasing lol. If Feyre, the Bow Girl, didn’t get off her butt and do something about their situation by hunting, they’d all be dead. It’s that dire. You’d think the sisters would understand the circumstances, but they’d much rather prefer being doted upon, and that pisses me off. I was taught to work hard, so, this type of attitude is infuriating.
I enjoyed the details around how the roasted venison fat clung to Feyre’s fork.
I’m definitely aware of how flip-floppy I am with my preference for some details over others. And I’m also aware that the details I’m enjoying are the ones around food lol. Knowing my rating scales, you shouldn’t be surprised.
“There were times when I hated her for asking that vow of me. Perhaps, delirious with fever, she hasn’t even known what she was demanding. Or maybe impending death had given her some clarity about the true nature of her children, her husband.”
This. This is the quote of the whole story so far. Why are all the responsibilities put upon the youngest daughter? And the older sisters and, understandably, disabled father, do nothing?
The talk about suitors has my attention a bit more, so I have hope that this would be worth the calories of my time.
So, I’m feeling more emotional about this chapter than the last, obviously.
Which, for me, is a good sign that I should continue ahead. If it were the same mundane meh? I would be less inclined. I’m annoyed enough to be emotionally invested.
I’m currently rating this:
•Diet Coke
•eh, Salty Air
•Cozy Blanket
•Raised Eyebrow
•Crickets
•Fine
•Dairy Queen
•Mac and Cheese Powder
•Cut
•Caramel Apple Crumble á la mode
•Milk Chocolate
SnS 🌹💀📜🥤
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